Longinus

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Saint Longinus is the name given in later Christian tradition to the Roman soldier who pierced Jesus with a spear during the Crucifixion. The canonical Gospels do not name the soldier; the name Longinus comes from later writings, especially the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus. The lance is known as the Holy Lance, and it is linked to the story of Christ’s suffering.

Legends about Longinus grew over time. In some tales, after Jesus' blood touched him, he was healed of eye problems and converted to Christianity; in other versions, he is said to have suffered for his act or to have died a martyr in Cappadocia. Because of these legends, Longinus is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, and other churches. His feast days vary: October 16 in the Catholic and Orthodox calendars, October 22 in the Armenian Church, and November 14 in the Coptic Church; the Catholic Church used March 15 in the pre-1969 calendar.

The best-known statue of Longinus is by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. A fragment of the Holy Lance is kept there, and relics connected to Longinus have been claimed in Mantua and elsewhere.

Longinus also appears in culture and folklore. The lance is tied to legends of the Holy Grail, and in the Philippines his story is part of the Moriones Festival. In Brazil, São Longuinho is a folk tradition for finding lost objects, with a chant asking for his help.

The name Longinus likely comes from a Latin form of a Greek word for “spear,” and the stories about him grew in the Middle Ages.